'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Jose Aldo is widely considered to be one of the greatest featherweights in the history of MMA.
Aldo was the inaugural UFC featherweight champion. His success in the world's biggest MMA promotion is tremendous and that's regardless of his monumental loss against Conor McGregor in 2015. Aldo has been competing since 2004 and has fought in multiple organizations and across multiple divisions.
Continuing to adapt to the ever-changing and ever-evolving sport of MMA, Aldo now fights as a bantamweight. In a sport where champions and legends grow highly insecure about their status, 'Junior' is still grinding day in and day out, which speaks volumes about his dedication.
As we celebrate the legend that is Jose Aldo, let's take a look at five things you probably didn't know about the MMA legend.
#5. Jose Aldo started training Brazilian jiu-jitsu because it was free and involved soft mats
Jose Aldo was only a kid when he decided to transition from capoeira to Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Thanks to his mentor Marcio Pontes, who offered scholarships to poor kids from the neighborhood, Aldo didn't have to pay anything.
It wasn't that capoeira was expensive, but Aldo, whose father was a bricklayer, couldn't afford even 10 reais ($1.77). Aldo's jiu-jitsu coach Marcio Pontes told MMA Fighting:
"Aldo had to leave capoeira because he had to pay a 10 reais fee. That's really cheap, but he didn't have that money at the time. He stopped playing capoeira and saw this opportunity to train jiu-jitsu."
Stopping by Pontes' gym turned out to be a life-altering event for Aldo, as it gave him a future that didn't involve favelas. What's more fascinating is the reason, apart from money, that made Aldo choose Brazilian jiu-jitsu over capoeira. A big part of his transition came due to the mats. Aldo said:
"I wanted to train jiu-jitsu instead of capoeira because the mat was soft. It was better than training capoeira on the hard floor. I started reading jiu-jitsu magazines, reading about the world champions, and becoming one of them became my goal."
Pontes made Jose Aldo sign up for a Brazilian jiu-jitsu tournament in 1999. With a white belt at the age of 13, 'Junior' defeated three opponents on the same day. While he fell a little short of winning gold that day, it set him on the path to MMA glory.
#4. When Jose Aldo almost quit MMA
Jose Aldo's journey to MMA stardom came close to never occurring. Aldo's loss to Luciano Azevedo at Jungle Fight in 2005 almost made 'Junior' quit the sport of MMA.
What was so bad about earning the first loss of his professional MMA career? It was Aldo's lightweight debut, a decision he had made because of a lack of opportunities for featherweights at the time. Even after the transition, all Aldo got was a submission loss and a big blot on his MMA resume.
Devastated by a loss that dimmed his future prospects as either featherweight or a lightweight, 'Junior' considered leaving mixed martial arts for good. Aldo's wife revealed what went down at the time and said:
"We had few opportunities to fight at 145 pounds. We considered moving up to lightweight so he could fight in the UFC. He [Jose Aldo] said, 'I will never make money [as a featherweight]. I'll move up and try going to the UFC,' but there was a long list of fighters at Nova Uniao waiting for a chance. 'It might take a while before you get there,' they told him. He tried going to Japan, but it didn't work either."
#3. Jose Aldo once owned Neymar Jr. on a soccer pitch
It might not come as a secret that Jose Aldo's first love was football. It was by fighting with players of rival soccer teams in his neighborhood that 'Junior' was introduced to mixed martial arts.
Aldo played football across several schools and clubs in Brazil with some success. Once set on the path to MMA stardom, it would've been difficult for anyone to imagine him returning to the soccer field.
Appearing in a 'Football Against Hunger' charity match alongside various celebrities and athletes, Aldo embarrassed one of the biggest footballers on the planet. Awakening the soccer lover in him, Aldo pulled off a terrific rainbow flick on Neymar, making headlines in media all over the world.
Watch Jose Aldo and Ken Florian do keep-ups in the UFC octagon:
#2. How Jose Aldo came to be known as 'Scarface'
Jose Aldo has a distinct scar on his face that has earned him the nickname, 'Scarface'. What is the story behind the scar? Was it something Aldo received as a kid during one of his football rivalries or was it something inflicted upon him by a drug mafia that dominated the favelas? The answer is somewhat surprising.
Jose Aldo received the scar when he was a child fit to do nothing but lie in his crib. In a rather bizarre accident, Aldo’s eldest sibling Joseline picked up his crib and threw it at her sister during a party. Aldo, who was in the crib at the time, ended up landing face first on a lit barbecue, scarring his face. 'Scarface' said in an interview in 2009:
"They were playing around and threw me in there. It was hot. I was a little baby. They were little kids. There was another time when my little sister broke my head. I have all kinds of stories."
#1. Jose Aldo's insurmountable MMA record
Jose Aldo is not considered one of the greatest featherweights in the history of MMA without reason. He was once the most feared and most dominant featherweight kingpin in the sport. Aldo won 18 straight fights between 2006 and 2015. It was only in December 2015 that 'Junior' lost his title to Conor McGregor at UFC 194.
Before losing to the Irishman, however, Aldo was undefeated for more than ten years across five different MMA promotions, including high-profile promotions such as the WEC and the UFC. The list of fighters who were reduced to dust by facing Aldo were names like Urijah Faber, Kenny Florian, Chad Mendes and Frankie Edgar.
While Jose Aldo is one of four men to have conquered the undisputed UFC featherweight title, he is the only one to win the championship twice. His 1,848-day championship reign is the longest in the division's history, nearly twice as long as that of his nearest competitor, Max Holloway.
Watch all the knockout wins of Jose Aldo here:
